Forest have made their seventh signing of the window with 19-year-old Malo Gusto signed on a long-term deal in a transfer worth £26.3million.
forest have confirmed the signing of 19-year-old full-back Malo Gusto from chelsea on a six-and-a-half-year contract. The Frenchman will be loaned back to the Ligue 1 side for the rest of the season.
Gusto joined as Graham Potter’s seventh signing of the window, following Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashile, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana through the door.
He will supply Potter with quality backup and competition for Reece James when he re-joins with the squad over the summer.
He is one of the most highly-rated young right-backs in the world and has 54 senior appearances to his name whilst also being a France Under-21 international. He is yet to score a senior goal but has provided five assists from defence.
Gusto will link up with his new team-mates officially ahead of the 2023/24 season signing a six-and-a-half-year contract which will keep him at the club until 2030.
On Friday, Lyon club president Jean-Michel Aulas insisted Gusto would be their player until the end of June and technically that is the case.
In a statement on Twitter, Aulas writes: “Since I am actively participating with Vincent Bruno Laurent in this great winter movement,
I have the pleasure of confirming the team on KTE but also of specifying that Malo, a great hope for OL, will continue to play with OL in less until 06/30/23.”
By loaning him back to Lyon for the remainder of the season, Gusto will continue to play regular first-team minutes thus further enhancing his game.
The fee spent takes the Blues’ January spending to £213.7million and despite there only being days left off the window, he may not be the last acquisition.
